Abode by Proctor & Matthews Architects

Abode in Great Kneighton, Cambridge, was presented at the AT Awards live finals on 7 November 2022 at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health to a jury comprising, Marion Baeli, Sarah Allan, Deyan Sudjic, Roger Harrabin, Ben Derbyshire, and Chair Catherine Burd. Read about how the project has stood the test of time, below.

Completed
2018

Designed by Proctor & Matthews Architects, working closely with Harriet Bourne at BBUK Studio, Abode is the gateway quarter to Cambridge’s Great Kneighton neighbourhood. The 444-unit residential development is tenure blind, with 40 per cent affordable homes with 60 per cent family dwellings, and 40 per cent apartments, delivering net densities of between 45-70 dph. Built on the site of the former Country Show Ground, the scheme is organised around a series of shared surface streets, squares and landscape spaces, which subtly transition from urban to rural edge.

The project is an exemplar for how to respond to vernacular forms in a contemporary way. Credit: Tim Crocker.

A range of innovative typologies provide an alternative to traditional family housing, while maintaining privacy and nurturing social interaction. The variety of typologies has proved extremely popular with buyers and has demonstrated that typologies with reduced ground-level amenity space can provide for a gap in the market for downsizers and sharers. A range of passive environmental measures, including building orientation, site placement and a fabric-first approach, achieve Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 for the private dwellings and 4 for all affordable dwellings.

The entrance to the scheme is a ‘great court’, which includes apartments and was inspired by Cambridge’s college courtyards. .Credit: Tim Crocker

The architects have frequently re-visited Abode since it was first occupied in 2014 and carried out several interviews with residents. Door-step play areas continue to be well-used and the community-run productive garden is forming a social focus at the heart of the neighbourhood quarter.

With the goal of shared learning with a wider audience, Abode has been published in practice publications, including Distinctively Local, which aims to inform and inspire others to deliver distinctive places in edge of city locations. The project is cited in central and local government design guidance including the National Design Guide and associated National Design Code guidance and the recently published Building for a Healthy Life.

The masterplan was informed by research into Cambridge monastic and collegiate courts and Fenland village structures.